Promise Me
by missjeanie
Summary: Sequel to You're Not Alone
1. Chapter 1

I looked up at my calendar, hoping that time had moved. Unfortunately, it hadn't. Two weeks. Forteen days. 336 hours. That was how long it would be before I got to see my boyfriend, Kendall, again. He was currently on tour with his bandmates, Big Time Rush. While I was very happy for him and so proud, I couldn't help but miss him. Millions of girls all over the world screaming my boyfriends name, none of them realizing we were getting ready to celebrate our anniversary.

I looked down at my book I was supposedly 'studying.' My mind had drifted to Kendall and I knew I wouldn't be able to take it off of him. I couldn't believe we had been together for almost a year. We met last summer when my mom forced me to spend a few weeks with her at my grandparents' cabin. While I hated the idea at the time, meeting Kendall changed my life. My mother wanted me to get back to my old self after I had made a suicide attempt and somehow Kendall broke through my exterior. I will say though, it couldn't have been easy. Writing me the song definitely won him brownie points.  
I remembered back to those first couple of months together. I was still living in Iowa with my parents so our entire relationship was long distance. It was tough, but we managed. Kendall and I are now living together in California and I could not be happier. With the exception of him being gone, of course.

"You ready to go?" I looked up at my best friend Sadie. She had moved out to California with me to be with Kendall's friend and bandmate, Carlos. Since both of our boys were on tour, she knew exactly how I felt. "C'mon Soph. I promised Kendall I'd keep you out of the house to keep your mind off him. And I know you promised Carlos the same thing."

"I know, I know. It's just... has it really only been a week since we saw them? It feels like an eternity." We had surprised the boys by flying out to see them. Unfortunately we were only able to stay for the one night, and now we were back in our own little hell.

"Trust me, Soph, I know what you're going through. I hate not getting to see Carlos, and I miss him like crazy. But we promised them we wouldn't sit around and mope, so that's why I planned a girls day." She flashed her smile at me. If anyone could cheer me up, it was Sadie.

We started out with a mini shopping spree at the mall, then went and got our nails done, and finally ended up at the beach. We tried our hand at surfing, but still weren't any good despite the lessons Kendall had given me. We ended up in a game of beach volleyball on opposite teams, and I will admit that I had a blast. Volleyball was always my favorite sport in high school and it's always fun to get a chance to play.  
By the time I got home, I was exhausted. I said goodbye to Sadie and dumped my bag on the table, looking for my journal. My phone dropped out and I noticed the screen was illuminated. Four missed calls, two texts, and a voicemail from Kendall. I looked at the time. Damnit, he had tried to call me before the show. I checked my message and called him back, even though I knew he wouldn't answer.

"Hey baby, it's me. Sorry I missed you, Sadie and I were having a girls day. I know you're on stage right now, and I hope you're having a good time. Don't worry, I plan on checking youtube to make sure you didn't break your neck. Anyway, call me whenever you can. I love you, Kendall."  
I sat down at my computer and opened a wordpad. Since the boys were on tour and didn't start filming season 4 until January, the studio didn't really need my assistance. In the mean time, I had been writing; selling short stories and doing freelance photo journalism. Writing was another passion of mine in high school, and it was easy to write when Kendall wasn't here. I glanced back at the table and remembered I had homework. I had decided to take an online class just to pass the time when Kendall was gone.

I was halfway through my second short story when I heard my phone buzz. I smiled when I saw his picture pop up on my phone.

"Hello?"

A sigh of relief. "Hey, beautiful. I was worried you were ignoring me."

"I could never do that, I promise. Sadie and I spent the day together and I forgot that my phone was in my bag."

"Good, I'm glad you were able to get out for the day." He was breathing heavy. I could tell he had just gotten off the stage.

"Kendall, do you want to call me back after you catch your breath?"

He laughed. "No, I'm good. Besides, I've been breathless since the day I met you."

I couldn't help but smile. "Cheesy, but I'll take it."

"I found out some exciting news today."

"What's that?"

"They just released the final tour schedule. Guess what state fair we are playing in August."

I paused for a moment to think. Most of them were Mid to End July and the rest were in August, right before school started back up. It hit me like a freight train.

"Shut. Up."

"Bought you a plane ticket this morning."

"No way! You're playing the Iowa State Fair? Sweetie, that's amazing!" My mom and I talked everyday, but it wasn't the same. My family only lived a few hours from Des Moines which is where the fair is held.

"I figure maybe your parents and brother and sister could come up and spend the day."

"You are seriously the greatest person ever. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Soph. I'd do anything to make you happy." I could hear the other boys yelling for him in the background. "Hey, sweetie, I have to..."

"Go, I know. Just call me later if you can."

"I will. Promise. Love you."

"Love you too."

As soon as I hung up, my phone buzzed that I had a text. It was from Sadie.

_They realize that 2 minutes is not enough. Right?_

_I don't know. Prob not. They're guys._

_Oh right I forgot. Did Kendall tell you the news?_

_About the fair?_

_Yes! :D_

_Carlos already buy you a plane ticket home?_

_You know it_

_Best boyfriends ever!_

I decided to lay down and started to read. I looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 325 hours before I got to see my boyfriend again. I'm going to die before that happens. I picked up my phone.

_I miss you_

_I miss you too pretty girl._

_Then come home!_

_Babe you know I can't._

_Pretend to be sick?_

_Lol if only I could._

_:(_

_Listen you should go see mom tomorrow. She came home today and said she really misses you and wants to see you. Maybe it will help keep your mind off me._

_Oh I'm so sure that spending hours on end with the woman that gave birth to you won't make me miss you at all._

_... I told her she could show you baby pictures._

_You do love me!_

_You know I do. Can't skype tonight, check email for video :)_

_Will do. I'm so proud of you. Can't wait to see you_

_Can't wait to see you eith_er

My mind wandered back to when I met Kendall. It felt like a lifetime ago; I didn't even feel like I was the same person. Truth be told, I was drowning in a sea of darkness and Kendall pulled me into the light. He saved my life. My mind then wandered to my exboyfriend, Charlie. He was great, until he started to beat me. When Kendall and I got together, Charlie became obsessed. I made it clear that I didn't want anything to do with him, and that he needed to leave me alone. He started stalking me, even t-boned Kendall's car trying to get to me. He was now serving a seven year sentence for what he did.  
I got out of bed and went back to my desk. I opened the lower drawer and pulled out the letters. There were five total, all unopened. I'd recognize that handwriting anywhere. How was I supposed to tell Kendall that Charlie had been writing me from prison?

I took a deep breath. 324 hours to go.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the complete lack of updates. My life has been pretty hectic lately and I haven't had a whole lot of time. I appreciate all the love and how much everyone enjoys the story. There isn't a whole lot in this chapter so I'll try to make the next chapter longer Anyway- Chapter 2!**

I knocked on the door and waited. As Kathy opened the door, I couldn't help but smile. While I did miss Kendall, I absolutely adored his family. She pulled me inside and wrapped me in a big hug. "I've missed you."

I hugged her back. "I've missed you too, Kathi." Kevin's pig came running around the corner. I bent down to pet her. "Aww I've missed you too Yuma. No need to be jealous." I put my bag down on the couch. "To be honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to come."

She nodded. "Kendall told me. I know this is really hard on you both, but you've done the long distance thing before and you got through it."

"I know. I just thought we were done with the whole long distance thing. I hate missing him."

Kathy's face lit up. "I just remembered, I have something for you. Now before you tell me 'Oh you shouldn't have,' I didn't. It's from Kendall." We walked into the kitchen and she dug through what I assumed had been her carry on. "Ah, here it is." She handed me a slender blue box. I opened the box to find a beautiful charm bracelet laying inside. "There's a different charm for every city he's been to. He finds one that reminds him of you and has the city name engraved on the back."

I had tears in my eyes. It was such a beautiful bracelet, and such a Kendall move. Good lord I was really in love with him. "Kathy, your son is the best thing that has ever happened to me. You raised a good man." This brought a smile to her face.

"Thank you, sweetie. Kent and I tried our best with our boys. Kendall told me once that you make it easy for him. He doesn't have to try with you. Everything is just natural. He said you are his missing piece." I gently placed the bracelet on my wrist and for a moment thought of the letters in my drawer. I wanted to be free of Charlie and have my life with Kendall, but he still had a hold of me somehow. I must have grimaced because Kathy got a worried look on her face. "What's wrong, darling?"

I shook my head. How was I supposed to tell her about the letters? I looked into her eyes and saw nothing but motherly love. She would understand, I was sure of it. "I need to tell you something. Something I haven't told anyone. I need you to promise you won't tell Kendall until I figure out how to tell him." She nodded and we sat down. "For the past few months I've been receiving letters. I've only received five so far. I haven't opened them, but I haven't thrown them out either."

"Letters? From who?"

I felt so ashamed as "Charlie" escaped my lips. I could feel the tears burning against my eyes. "I don't feel anything for him, I swear. I just want to know why. Why he did what he did to me, and to Kendall." I sat in silence for a few minutes and when I looked up, I was expecting to see judgement and hate. But all I saw was love. Kathy wasn't mad and she didn't look like I had betrayed her son. She looked like she understood.

"That's a natural feeling to have, Sophie. What he did to you was cruel, and if you feel like you deserve to know then that can't be helped. I'm sure I'd feel the same way if I were in your situation."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. You think I don't want to know why that bastard tried to kill my son?" She giggled. "Pardon my language."  
This brought a smile to my face. "Thank you, Kathy, I really needed that." We spent the rest of the day talking and going through old pictures, just like Kendall promised. I loved spending time with Kathy, even if it did make me miss Kendall.

The next few days went by in a blur. Kendall and I talked every day and we were still counting down the hours until we saw each other again. I tried to stay busy with writing and my class, but nothing could get him off my mind.  
I was sitting at home attempting to come up with a new story when I saw a Skype call come in.

"Hey. Shouldn't you be getting ready for tonight's show?"

Kendall smiled at me. "Have I ever told you that you worry too much?"

I rolled my eyes. "Only all the time. What's up?"

"I'm working on a new song and I wanted to know what you think." He started strumming his guitar and sang:

_You and me together make a number one record_  
_Girl, you know the only song that I wanna do is_  
_Featuring you._  
_You can be the lyrics_  
_It's like I already hear it._  
_Girl, you know the only song that I wanna do is_  
_Featuring you._

"Logan and I have been working on it. What do you think?"

I smiled. "I like it. It's really good."

"It's about you."

That took me by surprise. "Wow, Kendall. That was beautiful."

"Beautiful song for a beautiful girl"

"I think you've been spending too much time with the boys. You are being WAY to cheesey this time around."

He laughed. God, I missed his laugh. "I can't help it. I just miss you. I always want you to know how much I love you and let you know that you're always on my mind."

"You're always on my mind too, baby. Thanks for the bracelet by the way. It's amazing"

"I'm glad you like it." James walked in "Dude we gotta go. Meet and greet!" He waved at the camera. "Hey Soph! We miss you and Sadie!"

I laughed. "We miss you guys too. Only another week and we get to see you again."  
Kendall looked sad. "This is my least favorite part, you know. Saying goodbye."

"I know, but we have to for now. You have thousands of fans waiting for you. Just remember your biggest fan is at home missing you."

"And I miss her. I love you, Sophia Brynn."

"I love you too, Kendall Francis." I winked at him. "Go melt some brains, rock star." With that, we disconnected. I looked down at the promise ring he had given me almost 6 months ago. That was right around the time that he was in the hospital because Charlie had tried to kill him. At the time, it felt like my world was falling apart. I opened my drawer and pulled out the letters. I had told myself Charlie didn't have a hold on me anymore, and I needed that to be true. I would still tell Kendall about them, but I didn't care what Charlie had to say. He could rot in hell for all I cared. I walked over to the paper shredder. "Screw you, Charlie." I put the letters in. It felt good. I looked up at the calendar and put a red X on today's date. I would always remember today as the day I freed myself from who I used to be. I glanced at the circle for next week. 165 hours left and I'd see my boyfriend and the love of my life. 165 hours until my one year anniversary. I could hardly wait.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ready for another update? Here's the next part of Kendall and Sophie's story. The next chapter will be their anniversary! What would you like to see happen? Enjoy!**

As Sadie and I sat waiting for our plane, I couldn't believe it was finally time. I was getting ready to go see Kendall, and in three days we'd celebrate our year anniversary. He wouldn't tell me what he had planned, only that I'd absolutely love it.

"Is it weird that I'm nervous?" Sadie looked at me sheepishly.

"Nervous? Why would you be nervous?"

"Okay, maybe it's not nervous. Butterflies. Is it weird that Carlos still gives me butterflies?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "No, because I still get them from Kendall too. I remember last year at the lake house thinking I'd get used to it. I'd get over the butterflies and the way my heart soars when he kisses me or how I get goosebumps everytime we hold hands. But I haven't. And as weird as it is, I like that I haven't."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I was with Charlie, after about 2 months, it felt very mundane. I was used to it and there was never anything new or exciting in our relationship. With Kendall, I feel like everyday is an adventure."

"I see what you mean. I feel that same way with Carlos. Every day is a gift."

I nodded. We sat for a few more minutes talking when we heard our first boarding call. We had only been waiting about a half hour, but it felt like an eternity. I pulled out my phone to call Kendall.

"Hello?"

"Hey you. I just wanted to call to let you know we are getting ready to board the plane."

"Good." I could tell he was smiling on the other end. "I cannot wait to see you. Skyping hasn't been enough lately."

"I know. It hasn't even been that long since I've seen you and I feel like it's been months."

"I know how you feel. Just a few more hours, pretty girl. A few more hours and you'll be in my arms, where you belong."

"I like the sound of that." Another call came over the loud speaker for us to board our plane. "Kendall, I have to go. Don't forget that we have a layover so we probably won't be able to make it to the show. Leave me a ticket at will call just in case and don't forget to leave a key with the hotel clerk. Make sure they know what I look like because last time was hell trying to convince them that yes, I was really your girlfriend."

He laughed at the memory. "I promise, everything will be taken care of. The guys and I are headed off to soundcheck. I love you."

"I love you too, Kendall."

"Be safe."

We disconnected and I stood there staring at my phone. My background was a picture of us from before we were technically a couple. On one of our walks down the lake he had insisted we take a picture. "A picture will make this beautiful memory last even longer." I remember laughing at him and agreeing. That was the best summer of my life.

Sadie and I were in our seats waiting for the plane to take off. I was staring off into space when she elbowed me. "Are you okay? You've been out of it since you got off the phone."

I shrugged. "Yeah I guess."

She eyeballed me. "Sophia Brynn Richards, I am your best friend in the entire world. I know when something is wrong. Spill."

"Just feeling nostalgic." I could tell she knew I still wasn't telling her everything, so I continued. "I miss the lake house. I've been thinking a lot about last summer and how I felt around Kendall. I want to go back. Honestly, that's where I want us to spend our anniversary. I want to go for walks by the lake and sit out on the roof under the stars and have him laugh at me for cuddling Patches when he's cuddling me. I want to go back to the place that I fell in love with him."

"Don't tell them I told you, but Carlos said Kendall wants the same thing. He said he wants to go back and be in the moment when he first realized he loved you. He told Carlos that summer changed his life and he can't believe how lucky he is."

I laid my head back on my seat. No matter how long we had been together, I was falling more in love with him everyday. Kendall had my whole heart, and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. As the plane took off I drifted to sleep. I had an amazing dream about being married to Kendall and we had a big beautiful family with four kids that looked just like him. It was perfect, every little bit of it.

Our layover was only an hour, and before I knew it we were back on a plane. I had sent Kendall a quick text to let him know, but he was probably getting ready for the show. I hated being this close to one and missing it. I loved watching him perform. I could always see the passion in his eyes and I could tell it made him truly happy. I was debating on whether I wanted to join him for the rest of the tour. I didn't want to be a bother, and I knew he wanted me to be around. Sadie and I had been discussing it a lot more lately. Last tour we were able to join them for about a month, and we all really enjoyed it.

We finally landed and by the time our luggage came around we were exhausted. As much as we wanted to see our boys perform, there was only 45 minutes left in the show and we'd still have to get through traffic to make it to the venue. Thankfully the boys had sent a car so we didn't have to wait for a taxi. We got to the hotel, said goodnight to each other, and I crashed. I called Kendall and left him a voicemail.

"Hey sweetheart. I just got to the hotel. I know you're still on stage but we wouldn't have had enough time to get over there. Anyway just wanted to let you know I made it safe and sound. I'll see you when you get here. Love you." I tossed my phone to the other side of the bed and was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next morning the alarm went off early. Way earlier than I would have liked for it too. I cuddled into the arms that were wrapped around me. "Ung, five more minutes." It took me a minute to realize that Kendall was in the bed next to me.

He laughed. "Good morning, sunshine." I buried my face into his chest. Now I really did want five more minutes.

"I didn't hear you come in last night."

"I tried to be as quiet as I could. I got ready for bed and told you I was back, and you pulled me down." He kissed the top of my head. "Lucky for you, you're cute when you're half asleep. I was going to get up until you started talking to me." I hit him with my pillow. I have this bad habit of talking in my sleep when someone wakes me up. Kendall thinks it's adorable, and I think he's an ass for always talking back. "Ouch! Don't worry, I was exhausted and just told you I loved you. You mumbled something and went right back to sleep." He kissed me again. "I have to get up and shower now."

I pulled him back down to the bed. "Noooo. Don't leave me. You're so warm and I've missed you."

He grinned at me. "You could always join me."

I hit him with my pillow again. "Pass." I stuck my tongue out at him. "I'm gonna go grab Sadie and see if she wants to do breakfast. Want anything?"

He rattled off something about a fruit smoothie and I went to find Sadie. Carlos sent a bodyguard with us. While we insisted it was silly, he reminded us that fans were everywhere and they knew our faces. Better to be safe than sorry. We ran out and got breakfast and by the time we got back to the hotel, Kendall was ready to go. I hopped in for a quick shower and we loaded the buses. As soon as I was on the bus I headed to the back corner and sat staring out the window. I don't know what it was about watching the scenery pass by, but it gave me the same feeling sitting on the roof did. It inspired me for some reason, and I wasn't going to pass it up. I pulled out my laptop and spend a good two hours writing. I'm sure my editor would be pleased.

Kendall ran to the back yelling victory. Apparently he and Logan had just engaged in a pretty serious nurf gun fight that I had been completely oblivious to. I laughed and him and couldn't help but notice the sparkle in his eyes. I was definitely going to join him for the rest of tour. Seeing him like this; happy and at ease, and being able to see him perform, would be so satisfying.

"Kendall can I talk to you about something?"

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Of course you can, baby." He kissed my cheek. "What's on your mind?"

"I think I want to join you for the rest of the tour."

His eyes lit up. "Are you serious?" I nodded. "Sophie! That's fantasic! What changed your mind?"

I shrugged. "Well, I'm almost done with my class, and if I want to take more then I can continue to take online classes. Seeing you live your dream, watching your dream come true, it's inspiring to me. It helps me write. You know how I've been selling a few short stories here and there?" Kendall nodded, eager for me to continue. "My editor called. He showed one of my short stories to a publisher and they want more. Kendall, they want a rough draft of a novel. They want me to write a book and they want to buy it!"

"Baby I am so proud of you!" He gave me a huge hug. I looked up at him and he smiled. "I like the way this feels."

"What?"

"In this moment, right now, I feel like we are starting our lives. This is the first step of the rest of our lives."

I snuggled into him and looked out the window. "I couldn't agree more."


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, here it is! Kendall and Sophie's ONE YEAR anniversary. Enjoy! **

I never would get used to the feeling of waking up on the bus. It's kinda like that feeling you get after you spend all day in an amusement park and when you go home you feel like you're still moving. Sleeping on the bus gives me that same feeling. I laid in my bunk for a moment, not sure whether I wanted to get up or not. I looked at my clock. 5:30 AM. Kendall would be fast asleep, but Logan might still be up. It took me about thirty seconds before I looked at my phone again. Today was June 17th. Today was mine and Kendall's anniversary! Now I really did want to get up and start my day, even though I'd need a nap later. I started a pot of coffee and noticed there was still a light on in back.

I poked my head around the corner. "Morning, Logan."

He looked up in surprise. "Morning, Soph. What are you doing up so early?"

I shrugged. "Can't sleep. Still having that weird moving feeling."

Logan laughed at me. "You'll get used to it. He nodded to the opposite side where I usually sit. "Kendall's asleep, which is where I'm heading. He wanted to make sure you got that" he pointed to a bouquet of flowers, "first thing when you got up this morning."

I smiled. I wasn't sure if he'd remember, and I surely wasn't expecting anything. Logan gave me a quick hug and headed off to bed. I picked up the vase holding my flowers. It was a beautiful mixture of different colored orchids. Pinks, yellows, purples, whites; they were amazing. There was a letter with three charms sitting on top of it. One for each of the places we've been since I've been on the bus. I unfolded the letter.

_My darling Sophie. That sounds weird, right? I wanted to be all romantic but we both know how much you love being my pretty girl, so let's start again. Hey, pretty girl. I'm writing this at 1:30, and you've been asleep for a good hour now. I wanted to make sure you were asleep when I got the flowers. I made the guys stop at a 24-hour flower mart so I could try and find you flowers as beautiful as you. Even though we both know you're smiling as you're reading this, it was pretty cheesy I needed to do something to show you that I love you, and while the flowers don't come close, it's just a start. I was sitting here thinking that it's hard to believe you've been in my life for over a year. I never thought that spending a month on the lake with my mom and her friend that I didn't know could ever lead me to find the love of my life. I remember you thinking after you told me about what had happened that I'd think you were weak and that you lost your way. Even to this day, you're still the strongest person I've ever known. You inspired me that day, and everyday since then. Someday I hope to make you as happy as you've made me. I love you so much, Sophie._  
_Always & Forever,_  
_Kendall._  
_P.S. If you think this is it, you're sadly mistaken. There is MUCH more to come. XOXO_

I folded the letter and held it to my chest. I was amazed that even after a year together, I was falling more in love with him everyday. I added my new charms to my bracelet and smiled. Kendall was such a goof, but he was my goof. I grabbed a cup of coffee and my computer and sat in the window. I sat for a few minutes and watched the sun rise, rereading my letter. Kendall was such an amazing guy and I felt like the luckiest girl on the planet. I turned my computer on, opened a word document, and was ready to start my book. Problem was, I didn't have a story. I couldn't come up with character names, a plot, or even a title. I went through two cups of coffee and three hours of web searching for an idea before I finally gave up. I promised my editor I'd have a rough draft for a few chapters by the end of the week. I went back to my bunk. I hadn't been up for that long, but I was tired. I was still trying to come up with any start to my book when I drifted off into sleep.

Kendall woke me at about eleven. We were stopping to do some sight seeing since this was one of the only nights the boys didn't have a concert that night. It was funny, how little things work themselves out. I have a rockstar boyfriend and I didn't have to share him with a thousand screaming fans on our anniversary. It was definitely going to be a good day.

The boys had a radio interview or a live chat or something, so we let them go about their busniess while Sadie and I went shopping. As much as I love Kendall and love being a part of his world, the band was his. I didn't want him to feel like I was suffocating him or like I wanted to be in the spotlight with him. I was perfectly fine staying out of the public eye, and I'm sure his fans appreciated it too. I told Sadie all about the letter and the charms for my bracelet, and that there was apparently more to come. She couldn't stop smiling.

"What's wrong with you? You look like you have a coat hanger stuck in your mouth."

She laughed. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. I'm just so happy for you. A year and a half ago, I was worried about losing my best friend, and now she's in a happy, HEALTHY commited relationship with someone I actually like."

"You know, it's crazy, but when I look back on that time, it's like it wasn't even me. I know that it happened, but when I think about it, my memories are almost like I watched it happen instead of living it. Part of me still can't believe I tried to take my own life. That was a huge, stupid mistake."

"Speaking of huge mistakes, any more letters from Charlie?" After I talked to Kathy about it, I told Sadie. I couldn't keep anything from her; she was my best friend.

I shook my head. "Not yet. I'm kind of hoping he got the hint. I still haven't told Kendall, but I'm definitely not doing that today. I will not ruin our anniversary. When we go home to pack for the rest of tour, I'm going to see if there are any more letters. If there is another one, I'm going to let Kendall decide. If not, I'll tell him and it can be his decision where we go from there."

We spent a good two hours shopping which gave the boys enough time to do their interview and perform a few songs. I found a shirt which was all too perfect for Kendall. It said "Keep Calm My Spidey Sense is Tingling." When we found it, Sadie and I could not stop laughing. We met back up with the boys for a late lunch. We found this little diner and decided while we were here we should take in some of the local cuisine. The diner was delicious, and it was time to head back on the road. I looked around before we got back on the bus. "Hey, guys, where are we anyway?"

Everyone was silent for a minute. James was the first one to speak. "I think some where in Texas, maybe. Or Oklahoma."

Carlos started in. "Nah, man, I think we're in Georgia, or Kentucky, or somewhere."

Logan jumped in. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is we have to be in North Carolina tomorrow night and we still have a long drive ahead of us."

Everyone was acting weird, and I wasn't sure why. I took another look around. Kendall came up behind me and kissed my cheek. "Everything okay, babe?"

I kissed him back. "Yeah. It's weird, but I feel like I've been here before. This place just looks familiar."

"A lot of small towns look like this, Soph. We've been through so many in the last three days I feel like we're just going in circles."

"I guess." He was hiding something, they all were. I shrugged it off; it really didn't matter. I took my usual place on the back of the bus and grabbed a book. Since I wasn't able to write, the least I could do is read. Kendall came and sat in the back with me, occassionally strumming his guitar. I killed for little moments like this. I put my book down and he looked up at me.

"Bored with it?"

"No, I just like listening to you play more. It's nice to have you play for me."

"What are you talking about? I play for you every night."

"No, every night you play for the Rushers. But times like this, you play for me and only me. Like you did when you wrote You're Not Alone." We both smiled at the memory. He patted the empty space next to him. I sat down and he put the guitar in my lap.

"Uhh, what are you doing?"

"You're going to learn how to play."

I laughed. "No, I'm not."

He pulled me onto his lap. "Yes, you are. You told me you've always wanted to, and now I have the time to actually teach you." We sat there for quite a while with him showing me the different chords with me failing everytime. He was a good teacher, though. And he was patient with me. He was in the middle of helping me play Music Sounds Better With U when the bus pulled over. The driver got off and was outside for about five minutes. He came back to where we were sitting.

"Bad news, guys. Looks like we've got an engine problem. I've called a mechanic but they said they won't be able to send anyone for a few hours."

My heart dropped. We were stranded, probably in the middle of no where. While it wasn't ideal, I would still have my four boys and my best friend. "Why don't we all just hop on one bus? Sure it might be crowded, but it would only be for one night. We could share bunks and I'm sure Sadie and Carlos would too."

"That's sweet babe but I'm not sure that's going to work. We have two buses for a reason. What would we do with all of our stuff?"

I thought about it for a minute. He was right, we really couldn't leave anything behind. "I guess you're right. I'm going to go stretch my legs and see if Sadie wants to go for a walk." I grabbed my phone and stole one of Kendall's sweatshirts, just in case. I kissed him. "I love you, Kendall."

His eyes lit up. "I love you too, Sophie."

I pulled out my phone and was checking Twitter and Facebook when I stepped off the bus. After there was nothing interesting going on in the cyber world, I decided to check out the real world and take a look at my surroundings. When I looked up, I couldn't believe what I saw. I was standing fifty feet from the door to my grandparent's lakehouse.

"Surprise." There was a whisper in my ear. I turned around and had tears in my eyes. "I wanted today to be special, and I figured there'd be no better way to do that than being in the place where we started. Do you like it?"

I shook my head. "No." I wrapped my arms around him. "I _love_ it. All day, this is where I've wanted to be. I wanted to go take a walk by the lake and sit on the balcony and fall asleep in my bed just like we did a year ago. This is absolutely perfect. Thank you."

Kendall was pleased with himself. "There's more." We walked through the door and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Kendall had set up the whole house for our anniversary. Both of our parents were here, his brothers Kevin and Kenneth were here, my brother Eli and my sister Joanie were both here, and four of my closest friends from high school. "I wanted today to be absolutely perfect, and I wanted you to be surrounded by people that you love."

Today was perfect. Mom and Kathy had dinner ready by the time we got there. I gave all of my girlfriends a big hug and Sadie and I gave them every detail about dating rockstars. James and Logan had come over to join the conversation since they were both single. I laughed at them and introduced them to my girlfriends and let them have a moment. I looked around realizing that I was the luckiest girl in the world. I realize I felt like that a lot, but it was true. A year and a half ago, my world was dark and I had given up hope. Then this blonde goofball walks into my life and changes everything. We finished dinner and all walked into the living room. We lit a fire and Carlos, James, Logan, and Kendall all sat in front of us.

"Now, we weren't supposed to technically have a concert tonight, but this is a special occassion. Sophie, this is for you." Kendall winked at me and started strumming. They sang a few of their songs off their first album, a few off their second, one they had been working on, and did a few covers. I was so mesmerized I hadn't even noticed that Kendall had stopped playing his guitar. The boys were just humming now; they were going to go acapella.

Kendall stood up and walked over to me. He pulled me up and started singing.

_Wise men say only fools rush in_  
_But I can't help falling in love with you_  
_Shall I stay_  
_Would it be a sin_  
_If I can't help falling in love with you_

I thought back to the first time he had sung this to me. It was the first time I had visited him in California and I was having trouble sleeping. He used it to help me sleep, but told me he meant every word. He continued to sing, and I was not expecting what happened next. As he started singing the last line of the song, he got down on one knee.

_Take my hand, take my whole life too_  
_For I can't help falling in love with you_

He pulled a ring out of his pocket. It was a beautiful round solitaire, what I had told him I always wanted. I started shaking, and he grabbed my left hand while I used my right to wipe away tears. "Sophie, I am so in love with you. I've been in love with you pretty much since the moment we met. You told me that I pulled you out of the darkness and saved you, but the truth is that you've been a light in my world. A light that I didn't even realize was missing. I never thought I would find someone as amazing as you that would love me as unconditionally as you do. I know that I will never find anyone as half as amazing as you are. There is nobody else for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you, have a family with you, make parenting mistakes with you, grow old with you, and die with you. Sophia Brynn Richards, marry me, and make all of my dreams come true."

I wiped away another tear and nodded vigorously "Yes, Kendall. Yes of course I'll marry you!" He put the ring on my finger and kissed me. I was going to marry Kendall; I was going to be Mrs. Schmidt.

**What do you think? Is this what you wanted to see happen?! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

I looked around the apartment. I hated being home. I had decided I was going to spend the rest of tour with Kendall, but my editor needed me to come home for a few weeks to discuss the book and see a first draft. After I had found a topic, writing came easy. Late one night before I had to leave Kendall had a long talk with me about how maybe I should tell people my story. I should tell people about how I lost my way and fought to find it back. I tried to sleep that night, but I couldn't. I felt too empowered, and stronger than I ever had. It was amazing how he made me feel. I looked down at my left hand. I still couldn't believe we were engaged. It all felt like a dream. I took the ring off and put in on my necklace. I let the ring and pendant fall under the jacket I was wearing. With the exception of the group that was at the lakehouse, not many people know we are engaged, and we haven't been ready to reveal that to the fans yet. I grabbed my phone and dialed Kendall.

"Hey, you." I missed him so much. Hearing the sound of his voice killed me.

"Hey I just wanted to give you a call before I head over to Allen's office. He's expecting a masterpiece."

"Which is exactly what you're going to give him. You'll do great, Soph, I know it." He paused for a minute. "I really miss you."

My heart soared. "I miss you too. But I'll be back with you and Logan on that crammed bus before you know it."

"Good. And I don't care how crammed it is, first night back on the bus, you're sleeping with me."

"Ooh is that a promise, Mr. Schmidt?"

"You know it, babe. I can't wait to see you. Sadie can't either. She said tour is boring without you."

"I can't imagine how that's possible, but tell her I miss her and I will see you all very soon. I booked a flight for Tuesday morning so hopefully my plane will get there in time for me to see the concert."

"That's too far away. Can't you just hop on a red eye tonight or something?"

I laughed. "What's the point in that? You'd be in a new city by the time my flight came in."

Kendall whined. "But four days is too far away. I want to see you now."

"I know, sweetie. Trust me, I do. But Allen will kill me if I leave before Tuesday. He told me that we need to get as much work done as possible before I leave again." There was a knock on the door. "Listen, Kendall, I've gotta run. But I'll call you as soon as I'm done."

He sounded upset. "I'll probably be in soundcheck. But go ahead, go give Allen a work of art. I'll talk to you later. I love you, Sophie."

"Love you too."

I grabbed my bag and walked over to the door. When I opened it, there was a girl about my age and height standing in front of me. She was wearing a big smile with teeth that looked incredibly a very fake shade of white.

Her smile instantly faded when I opened the door. "Oh, I'm sorry. I might have the wrong apartment. Does Kendall Schmidt still live here?"

"He does, but he's not home right now."

"Oh where is he? Do you know when he'll be back?"

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. This girl was standing here pretending to know Kendall and yet couldn't think of where he was? "Yes, I believe tonight he's in Pennsylvania, and he'll be back in about six weeks." She looked dumbfounded, so I continued. "He's currently on tour with his band."

She smacked her forehead. "Duh, silly me. How could I have forgotten? Of course he and the boys are on tour. They do it every year." She held out her hand. "I'm Kira. I'm an old friend of Kendall's."

For some reason I found her extremely irritating. I shook her hand. "I'm Sophie, Kendall's fiance." Probably shouldn't have told her that, but I didn't much care. Thankfully the shocked expression that crossed her face is exactly what I was going for.

"Oh, well, congratulations. If you could just do me a favor and tell him I stopped by?" I nodded, and she left. I text Sadie to see if Carlos had any information on Kira and headed off to Allen's.

The next few hours seemed to fly. Allen had me bring my computer and a hard copy of my draft for us to work through. He loved the story, and loved the way I was telling it. While my story was about Kendall, Charlie, and myself, I had altered it slightly to make for a better read. Not only had the names changed, but Amber(the myself character) had grown up next to, and had known Nathan(Kendall's character) her entire life. I wrote the story imagining what life would have been like if Kendall had been there the entire time. While I probably would have picked him over Charlie, I can't erase that part of my life, which I suppose is the point of my book. I had already written out five lengthy chapters, and Allen wanted at least three more by the time I left. After three hours of reviewing and rewrites, I was exhausted. Kevin had called me just as I was leaving to see if I wanted to grab some lunch.

We met up at a local cafe downtown and started to talk. Most of the talk was about Yuma or tour, but I couldn't get that girl out of my mind.

"Something bothering you?" Kevin nugged me out of a daydream.

I shrugged. "Kind of." He looked at me patiently, waiting for me to continue. "This girl stopped by the apartment today looking for Kendall. She said she was an old friend but Kendall's never mentioned her. Something about her just sorta bothered me."

"Who was it?"

"I think she said her name was Kira or something."

Kevin leaned back in his seat. "Ahh, so you met Crazy Kira."

I spit a little. "You know her?"

He nodded. "Yeah we all do. She's an ex of Kendall's, sort of."

"What do you mean 'sort of?'"

"I don't know, Soph. They dated, and then she went nuts. I don't know all of what happened, so maybe my bro can explain it better."  
We finished up lunch and I headed home. When I checked the mail, my heart stopped when I saw two letters from Charlie. I hadn't heard anything from him in almost two months, and now I've got two letters. One for me, and one for Kendall. I went to throw them away, then decided against it. I still hadn't told Kendall about the previous letters, so I tucked them away in my bag. I would tell him when we were alone and he could tell me about this mystery girl.

The next four days were absolute hell. While I loved talking to Kendall, I hadn't said anything about the girl that showed up here, so I felt like our conversations were awkward. I didn't know what to say without revealing too much. He could tell something was wrong, but I didn't want to tell him over the phone. I wanted to wait until I saw him. Tuesday morning my flight was excruciating and painful, and I was thankful to finally be on the ground. I was even more thankful to see that Sadie was the one to come and get me. She wrapped me in a big bear hug.

"It's so good to see you!"

I hugged her back. "I know! I missed you girl." She handed me a hotel key and a backstage pass.

"The guys are getting ready, and Kendall wanted to make sure you had this just in case he wasn't there when you got to the hotel."  
We grabbed my bags and headed to the hotel. We discussed the girl that had shown up on my doorstep. Unfortunately, Carlos had given Sadie about as much as Kevin had given me. Exgirlfriend that went nuts when they broke up. I got cleaned up and we headed to the venue.

We scoped out where we would be sitting and then I wandered off to find Kendall. I found him in his dressing room, tuning his guitar. I stood in the doorway for a moment, just admiring him. He had so much passion for what he does, and he understands how lucky he is that he gets to live his dream everyday. With the start of my book, I felt like a little of that passion was rubbing off on me.

"If you stand there long enough I'll play you something pretty." He looked up at me and winked.

I smiled. "Promise?"

He laughed and put his guitar down. I ran up to him and he pulled me in to a long embrace. I nuzzled into him. This was exactly what I had needed. He shut his door and turned the lock, and looked at me with a mischevious smile. We still hadn't crossed 'that line,' but we sure had fun leading up to it. I shook my head and pulled him in for a kiss. All of the stress from the past few days melted away. He picked me up and laid me down on the couch where his guitar had been just a moment ago. He planted a kiss on my nose before moving down to my neck. He knew this drove me crazy and he was enjoying every minute of it. I could feel his hands wandering as he started to nip at my collarbone. His lips eventually made their way back to mine and his hand cradled my neck. I started to unbutton his shirt when there was a knock on the door.

"Five minutes, Kendall."

He looked down at me. "Damnit."

I hit him and laughed. "Oh like it was going to happen in your dressing room anyway."

"I was still having fun." He kissed me again. "I felt like that cleared up the weirdness we've had for the past few days."

He sat up and put me on his lap. I nodded. "Me too, but there are still some things we need to talk about."

"I know. But not now. I'm going to enjoy this moment for as long as it will last." He kissed me again. We continued our little charade until there was another knock on the door. "Two minutes to showtime."

Kendall kissed my nose again. "I gotta go. You gonna stay here or wander?"

I shrugged. "I'm thinking about wandering. Sadie and I have started to get noticed and some of your fans have the nicest things to say about us. It's definitely an ego boost." I kissed him once more before he left. "I'll see you out there."

With that he left. I stayed in his dressing room until Sadie came looking for me and we walked around the venue. We ran into a few fans, and some of them even wanted a picture with us. We were more than happy to oblige. Within a few hours the concert was done and overwith, and the guys had blown me away, as always. They always had so much fun. Although sometimes I felt like a mother hen. That damn trampoline makes me so nervous. We hopped on the bus to head out to the next venue. Logan sat in the back with the TV on to give me and Kendall what he so delicately referred to as 'alone time' since we deicded to try and share one bunk. All I was really interested in was having Kendall's arms wrapped around me. I slept better that night than I had in almost three weeks.

Today was another one of those rare days when the boys didn't have a show that night. Mainly because of the distance from last night's venue to the next. I was sitting at the back of the bus finishing up and email when Kendall came and sat down next to me.

"So, are we going to talk about what's been bugging you, or just ignore it?"

I closed my laptop and grabbed my bag. "We're going to talk about it. But before we do, I want you to promise not to get mad at me." He nodded, and I grabbed the letters from my bag, and handed both of them to Kendall. He just sat there, staring at them. "These aren't the first ones I've gotten. I've thrown the rest of them away. He's sent me five so far, six counting the one you're holding. The one addressed to you is the first one that's come to you."

"Why didn't you tell me about these? Why did you wait so long?"

"I was going to tell you, believe me I was. But there was never a good time."

Kendall threw the letters down and got up. "Never a good time? What about when the first one came? You didn't think to pick up the phone and say 'Hey remember my douche bag ex that tried to kill you and that I almost killed myself over? Well he wrote me a letter from prison!' Or what about when I asked you to marry me? Did it cross your mind then?"

We rarely fought, and I didn't like the tone he was taking with me. I stood up next to him. "Listen, I didn't want to ruin our anniversary by telling you about the letters, and I didn't figure that's something you wanted to hear over the phone and it wasn't something I wanted to tell over the phone. You also promised you weren't going to get mad at me, and I really think you'd better calm your ass down before I get pissed at you!"

"Why on earth would you get pissed at me?"

I crossed my arms and glared daggers at him. "Who the hell is Kira?" His anger immediately dissipated. I could see him go from pissed to scared/worried in two seconds flat. "If you're trying to figure out how I know her name, she came by the apartment the other day looking for you. All anyone will tell me is that she's an ex girlfriend. So I ask you again, Kendall, who the hell is she?"

He sat down on the couch and pulled me next to him. "I'm so sorry, babe. I shouldn't have gotten mad. You were right about that. I'll tell you everything, but I need you to promise that you won't hate me when I tell you about her."

"Kendall, I could never hate you. I love you. We're getting married, remember?"

He pulled my face into his. "Please, Sophie. Just promise me."

I nodded. "I promise, Kendall. I won't hate you."

He took a deep breath.


End file.
